General Motors just claimed victory in the Great American Cop Car Shootout, saying it swept three categories, including two won by the Ford Police Interceptor. How does GM back up its claim? By excluding the new Ford Police Interceptor.

The death of Ford's Crown Victoria leaves a gaping void in law enforcement garages. This…
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GM's touting the performance of the Chevrolet Caprice PPV during last weekend's Michigan State Police police vehicle tests, saying it "brakes in a shorter distance than its competitors from Ford and Dodge." The General also says the Caprice "had the best overall average time per lap."

Except as our chart shows, the Caprice was out-braked by the all-wheel-drive version of the Ford Police Interceptor, while the twin-turbo Ford PI AWD's average lap was nearly a second faster the rear-wheel-drive Caprice.

So how does GM justify its triumphant claims? By limiting the definition of "competitors" to the Dodge Charger and the antediluvian Ford Crown Victoria, whose lap times were slower than a Chevy Tahoe.

GM can claim that since the Ford PI is more than a year away from production, it's test results are not official.